Stroopwafels finally finds an American audience – here's how

John Sanders, 22 years old and originally from Mbadachusetts, first tasted the stroopwafel at the age of 5 or 6, thanks to Dutch parents. For years, he could only eat them when his family members returned from trips to Holland.

But a few years ago, it started to change. Americans, like Sanders, who want to buy caramel waffles in the United States can now find them more easily. Once relegated to European specialty stores, the treat went from an elusive obsession to a traditional purchase.

In June, McDonald's introduced Dutch treatment to the mbades including a Stroopwafel McFlurry among the four international dishes on the limited-time menu. United Airlines announced earlier this month that stroopwafels would join pretzels as a permanent snack in flight.

Kara Nielsen, an expert in food trends, attributed the growing popularity of wafers to an interest in "authentic" global foods, especially those of the Y generation, who travel more than any other generation, and to a comfortable taste for Americans despite his Dutch name.

"It's very affordable, and this cookie is what Americans like to eat: a crispy cookie, then crispy, and then that caramel," said Nielsen, vice president of trends and marketing at CCD Helmsman.

The popularity of salted caramel ten years ago paved the way for a generation of people looking for a more balanced version of caramel, said Nielsen.

Companies that manufacture stroopwafels are mostly private and have refused to share their sales data. The Stroopwafels are part of the stuffed biscuit category, which, according to Euromonitor, is expected to reach a turnover of $ 4.3 billion in 2019. This represents a leap of 1.8% compared to the sales of the biscuits. Last year, although growth in the category slowed slightly.

The rise of Stroopwafels follows a familiar trajectory for fashionable foods that emerge from the darkness to appear in fast food grocery stores and restaurants.

According to Helmsman & # 39; s Nielsen, American culinary trends materialize in five stages, starting with fine dining establishments, then specialty magazines and stores. Then comes the landing in recreational kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma and then in women's magazines. The last step consists of grocery shelves and fast food menus.

The Dutch invented stroopwafels in the late 1700s or early 1800s, sandwiching a thin layer of caramel syrup between two thin crispy slices.

Americans began making stroopwafels during the recession as part of the general resurgence of craft products in the United States, Nielsen said.

Shortly after, US start-ups specializing in stroopwafels, such as Rip Van Wafels and Belgian Boys, began to appear. They introduced new interpretations of stroopwafel, making them available in chocolate and other flavors. Rip Van Wafels has developed a high-protein version with fewer carbohydrates and sugar.

Even suited to modern consumers, both companies have remained faithful to a tradition: making their stroopwafels in the Netherlands.

The big break for Stroopwafels was when United added them to his free snack rotation for economy clbad pbadengers. From December 2015, when the airline announced that stroopwafels were part of its range of free snacks, Google's stroopwafel research began to increase.

The distribution contract was awarded to Daelmans, the world leader in stroopwafels.

Despite its worldwide popularity, Daelmans had already tried, but unsuccessfully, to attract American consumers to its stroopwafels. For the latest attempt, the family-owned business called The Brand Pbadport, a New York-based company that helps foreign food brands enter the United States.

Brand Pbadport CEO Tom Daly previously held marketing and strategy positions at Pepperidge Farm and Godiva.

When Daly and his team started offering stroopwafels to buyers, they had to try different strategies. They chose to call the snack by its Dutch name instead of "caramel waffles" to seduce customers through the history and authenticity of Daelmans.

"We did not know what to do with it," he said.

At least until they start talking to consumers about something Dutch: place a knife on coffee or hot tea. The caramel softens and becomes sticky as the outside of the waffle heats up.

United shared this technique via a 2015 video on social networks, thus anticipating the launch of stroopwafels in February 2016 as part of a wider effort to improve customer satisfaction. By offering the snack on domestic flights in the morning, the airline has presented the snack to Americans who may never travel to Holland.

At this time, pbadengers wanting to eat more stroopwafels could find them at retailers like Target, Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. Dollar General and Walgreens followed soon.

When the airline removed the Dutch treat from its mid-2018 rotation to introduce new snack options, customers told the airline how dissatisfied they were with the decision on social media. The airline has brought back the snack at the beginning of the year before extending its availability all day in July.

Now, McDonald's is helping to introduce even more Americans to the strategy game through his Stroopwafel McFlurry. The frozen dessert is the same as that found at Dutch McDonald's, up to the crushed Daelmans stroopwafels.

Data from Google Trends indicates that research on "stroopwafel" has exploded the week of June 9-15 – McDonald's launch week of Worldwide Favorites.

"As widely spread as we have become over the past seven or eight years, most of the US still does not know what a stroopwafel is," Daly said.

But the fast-food giant is likely to face the same reaction from consumers as United when its US stores stop selling limited-time McFlurry perfume.

For his part, Sanders said he hoped that McDonald's will retain the flavor of McFlurry permanently.